RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Peperonata

Chef Laura BrennanSpecial to the Belmont Citizen-Herald

Sunday

Sep 3, 2017 at 4:47 AM

Foodie's Market chefs will be contributing recipes to the Belmont Citizen-Herald on a regular basis. These recipes use fresh, healthy ingredients available at their store, which opened in Belmont Center in May.

Peperonata is no mere sautéed pepper and onion stew; rather it is a dish in which the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. The slow cooking process softens the vegetables and weds together the contrasting flavors. It yields a dish that can be eaten warm or cold, that can accompany chicken (grilled chicken breast), meat (roasted pork tenderloin), fish (sautéed shrimp) or just a good crusty bread, cheese and salumi platter.

Peel the onion (s) and cut in half from stem end through root end. Lay each half face down on the cutting board and slice into ¼ inch slices withthe ‘lines’ of the onion. If cut across the onion into ‘rings’, the onions will fall apart during cooking.

Wash and dry the peppers. Slice off the top of the pepper, close to the stem to minimize waste. Cut the peppers into quarters and then cut each quarter into ¼ inch strips. Be sure to remove the ribs and seeds from inside the peppers first.

Peel and slice the garlic cloves as thinly as you can.

Wash and pat dry the herbs.

Slowly heat a large, high-sided pan. Carefully add 1/2 the amount of extra virgin olive oil. Do not let the oil smoke, it will burn the vegetables. Add all the onions and stir. Add a generous pinch of salt, turn the heat down, cover the pan and slow cook to soften the onions. Stir often. After 8-10 minutes, the onions will have released juices and become shiny. Add the garlic cloves and cook for 3-5 minutes, covered to soften. Adding the garlic after the onions have softened will protect the garlic from burning and becoming bitter.

Next, add the rest of the olive oil, the canned tomatoes, the sliced peppers and another liberal sprinkling of salt. Add the pinch of hot red pepper flakes and the herb sprigs. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Stir to combine. Cover the pot. Continue to cook and stir for another 20-25 minutes or until the dish is stew-like but not too soupy. Keep cooking without the cover to reduce the liquid if the stew is very soupy.

Taste. Add more vinegar to your liking- the acidity will contrast nicely with the sweetness of the onions and peppers. Add more hot spice if desired. And it will need more salt!! Remove the herb stems. Let the stew ‘rest’ for 15 minutes to let the flavors mingle

*NOTE:

About onions: The most common non-red cooking onion varieties are yellow, Spanish and large white. The Spanish onions are large, ¾ to 1 pound each. The large white onions are just a bit smaller, about ¾ pound each. And the most common yellow onions are much smaller. They usually run 3 each to the pound. If you cook often, you will get much more yield from a larger onion. A pound of small yellow onions will lose at least 1/3 volume in trim waste. There is proportionately less waste with a larger onion and what is not needed for the recipe at hand can be double-wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for later use.

Yields 6-8 as a side dish. Prep time is 25 minutes. Cook time is 35 minutes. Level of difficulty: easy.

Foodie's has locations in Belmont, South Boston, the South End and Duxbury. For more information, visit foodiesmarkets.com.